I don’t think it’s more strange for a 17 year old to aspire to become a lawyer or a banker than to aspire to become a doctor or a computer engineer. It’s all just something they “fancy” to do with all the knowledge they have about different careers at that point of time. Interestingly, a bigger paycheck is about the only common thing among these popular careers. Maybe bigger paychecks are at least part of what make them popular career tracks for adults as well?
That being said, I’m actually for the idea of not getting so pre-professional so quickly when there’s so much one can explore during their undergraduate years. However, if there’s no consideration for post graduate profession or job placement, there’s really no “excuse” for people to step outside their region for college if all they look for is proper academic training. Take Geogia Tech. Yes, it is one of the colleges with best engineering program, but is it necessary for a kid in MA who is interested in engineering to go to GA Tech for the engineering training? Would UMass or another university in NE with an accredited PhD program fulfill whatever the training they need as an undergraduate? I think so. Southerners may get it right after all. Why bother to travel to a different part of the country for college when you can get it at your doorstep and often times get it cheaper.